#BookReview – WICKED DESTINY by L.C. Hibbett #urbanfantasy #witches

Just squeezing one more review in before New Year, I thought this looked a little different to the usual diet of kick ass heroines, and I was right. The blending of the modern day setting with the old Celtic gods is well done, and setting the story in Dublin, Ireland, made for a fresh read.

In a world where witches’ abilities are denoted by colour, Destiny is the first black witch to be born for generations. Her power? To suck the lifeforce from living beings. And black witches are always evil, right?
Well not this one. Destiny plans on overturning that evil tag, which means escaping the god, Balor, who just happens to be her father, and joining the Coven of Free Witches in Dublin. Until she reaches the age of 21 and becomes eligible to join the Coven she needs to stay alive, earn a living, and keep her 2-year-old toddler safe and off the supernatural radar. So, when she gets entangled in an investigation into the disappearance of supernatural children from a wide range of species, life becomes more than a bit tricky.
I really enjoyed this story, it’s refreshing to have Dublin, Ireland, as the setting, and the world building was solid. Politics rears its ugly head in very believable ways, there is plenty of action, humour, and slow burn romance (the reverse harem tag is a bit misleading at this stage of the series, though the end hints at where this is going).
Dialogue is great, as are the characters, and Destiny’s motives are a secure driving force for the plot. I think this will really appeal to mothers, which is where it didn’t grab me so well, as I’m not a parent. There is a short prequel attached to the end of the book and although you don’t need to have read it to understand the novel, I did, and I’d highly recommend it, as it makes things a lot clearer.
For me, the ending felt rushed. It’s a satisfying conclusion (I was starting to panic at about 80% in, suddenly wondering if I’d been duped into reading another of those books that ends on a cliff hanger, but thankfully that wasn’t the case), I just felt it could have been expanded a bit to produce a more satisfying emotional punch.
The wrap up promises more to come from this group, and I will be reading it, as I found Destiny to be a character with a lot more to offer yet. Recommended for readers of Urban Fantasy who like something a touch different from the usual kick ass, sword-wielding female protagonist.